


A Change of Heart

by HyperSpikes



Series: 4 times Sonic saved Green Hills (+1 time Green Hills saved Sonic) [2]
Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)
Genre: 4 times +1 time, Gen, Heartwarming, Hurt/Comfort, pre-release
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2021-02-19 01:30:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22336330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HyperSpikes/pseuds/HyperSpikes
Summary: Logan, a gruff man of few words who lives on the outskirts of town, doesn't like Sonic all that much. Sometimes, a good deed is all it takes to inspire a change of heart.
Series: 4 times Sonic saved Green Hills (+1 time Green Hills saved Sonic) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1607812
Comments: 20
Kudos: 223





	A Change of Heart

Logan liked the small town of Green Hills. It was quiet, for one thing. In fact, he was absolutely certain that the silence was the best thing about it. The second-best thing about it was that it was in the middle of the forest, and as a woodworker and a hunter, it was the perfect place to settle down and prepare for retirement. After living in his little, secluded house for the past thirty years, he’d grown accustomed to his way of life in Green Hills. Logan was the kind of fellow who liked his routines and enjoyed a quiet cup of coffee on his porch in the afternoons.

To say he was irritated when Sonic showed up in town is a major understatement. If you asked him, Green Hills would be better off without fast, loud, and _annoying_ creatures from other dimensions who didn’t know how to _shut up._ The thing didn’t have an off-switch, and it desperately needed one. He didn’t know how that police sheriff and his poor wife dealt with such a noisy critter.

Despite the fact that Sonic had been living in Green Hills for ten years prior to the government getting involved, he’d never been that much a nuisance. He was a cryptid – a myth. The only person crazy enough to believe he was real was Crazy Carl, the local loon. Logan used to find Crazy Carl irritating too, but after dealing with Sonic’s antics day in and day out, he realized that he missed having to only deal with Carl’s insane rambling.

As a man of few words, Logan was sure that very few people actually knew how he felt about Sonic. Since his house was so secluded and he didn’t even have a telephone in his little cabin, he didn’t see too many faces from around town and he didn’t really talk to anyone much. Sometimes, Tom or his deputy would drive down the road near his home during their patrols and offer him a wave. He’d wave back, if he was sitting out on his porch whittling a block of wood or having a cup of coffee.

When Sonic ran by, however, it was a different story. His insane speed would blow through the trees, making the crash against each other loudly and rattle his windows. If he was sitting outside, the coffee in his hands would spill all over his shirt. Dust would get in his eyes, and his ears would ring if Sonic was going faster than usual. Logan would growl to himself, spit the dirt out of his mouth, and storm back into his house.

One time, Sonic actually _stopped_ outside his house and took a gander at his cabin. Logan happened to be watering his garden and he made eye contact with the creature. When Sonic let out a cheery “hey!”, Logan couldn’t help but scowl at him and turn back to his greens in a huff. He didn’t see what Sonic did after that, but he heard him leave.

. . .

It was a few weeks later when Logan decided to get to work another wood project. He spent the next few days heading out into the woods searching for fallen trees to use for his project. He’d cut them up using his saw and then haul the pieces back to his home. He would be out from dawn until dusk, and although he loved building new projects, he could feel his age in his bones. His back hurt more than usual, and there was a strange straining in his chest that he couldn’t quite shake.

On the fourth day, upon returning from the forest with yet another haul of wood, his stern and sharp eyes fell upon a small blue figure near his home. It was Sonic, and he was looking down at his garden. Logan wasn’t sure what Sonic was doing there, but he’d had enough of the blue rat and this was the final straw. He couldn’t stop Sonic from running up and down the street all day, but no one – _especially_ Sonic – was allowed on his property.

He threw down his wheelbarrow and began stomping over to where Sonic stood, who had his back turned to him.

“What are you doing here?!” Logan yelled out. “Get off my property, you blue rodent! Go – !”

Logan stopped short and felt his voice caught in his throat. His chest felt tight and he gripped onto it as he felt his heart straining to beat. He gasped for air; his lungs wouldn’t work. The pressure in every fiber of his being was unbearable, and he felt his vision start to swim. He heard someone call out to him, and the last thing he saw was a flash of blue.

. . .

Logan floated in darkness for a long time. He was cold and clammy. Somewhere distant, he heard wind whistling through his ears. He thought he heard someone calling out for help – for a doctor – for _anyone._

. . .

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Logan’s eyes twitched and he slowly opened them to find himself in a hospital room. Later on, a doctor would come in and tell him the obvious: Logan had suffered a heart attack, he was lucky to be alive, and he shouldn’t push himself so hard. Logan would ask the doctor in his raspy voice where he was.

“Hilltop Hospital,” he would say as the nurse came in and offered Logan a bowl of soup.

“… But that’s miles from where I live,” he’d say in confusion. “I live in Green Hills.”

“Like I said,” the doctor said with a smile on his face. “You’re lucky to be alive. That blue alien that was all over the local news a few months back brought you in. I don’t know how, but he ran with you all the way over here.”

. . .

When Logan was finally released from the hospital, he resumed his usual routines but decided to take it easy with his wood projects to avoid another trip the hospital. He spent the next few days whittling small figures out of blocks of wood, waiting for the inevitable moment when Sonic would run by.

Sonic never ran by in those few days, but by the time Tom’s police car drove by for patrol, Logan stood up and waved for Tom to stop for a moment. Logan didn’t say anything to Tom, but he handed him a tiny note that read “For Sonic” on the front. In messy but sturdy scrawl that could only belong to Logan, two words were written on the inside.

_Thank you._


End file.
